Webb of lies
by Olivia Solar
Summary: While chasing a suspected loan shark Mickey coes across more than ever thought could happen. Mickey/ Jack/Smithy friendship
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Mickey is on the trail of a loan shark, however when they finally find a suspect it has further consciquences, causing Mickey to reveal more about himself to his collegues, including Jack.  
Characters: Mickey, Jack, Smithy and plenty more having some stage time too.  
Rating: 13

Chapter one

(I would like to say thanks to Thatkilguekid who has once again done an incredible job of betaing)

Jack stared at the young DC, he wasn't afraid of meeting his eyes, Mickey was focusing so intently on his computer screen that he hadn't noticed anyone all day. He had that vacant exp​ression on his face, the one where he didn't want to show any emotion that could give away any real feeling.  
He had been trailing a loan shark the past few days. So far they had witnesses identify him as Noel Krash, a nasty piece of work. If people couldn't pay financially then he made sure that they would pay physically, and then stole their valuables for cash anyway. Yesterday it seemed Mickey had this man at a dead end, but when back up arrived he said they had the wrong person, and refused to comment further. He seemed rather rattled at the time, and the dark drizzly night made it unclear to see what exactly had happened but now Jack could see the mauve marks around his neck, the split lip and deep cut beneath his right eye. Something had happened, maybe they threatened him. They'd certainly beaten him. Jack couldn't prevent the sharp intake of breath from escaping when Mickey moved, his collar twisting round to reveal more vicious bruising.  
He knew they hadn't spent much time together since he became superintendent; they saw less of each other at work and as a result the dent in their friendship grew. Even though there was a stretch of distance between them that had only widened as their ranks drifted further apart Jack still would have liked to think that their friendship was strong enough that the young lad could come and talk to him if he needed him. After all they had been through together, why did it suddenly seem as if they could no-longer trust each other?  
The deep black dents in Mickey's fragile frame became too much to bear, the silence too much of a burden to maintain - he had to do something.

"Mickey?"  
No answer.  
"Mickey are you alright?" He ventured, placing a hand on the DC's shoulder startling him; he flinched from the touch, flesh still tender as a result of the bruising still fresh against his skin.  
"Guv? I mean, Sir?"  
"Is everything OK?"  
"Yes Sir. Just going through statements from Tuesday. I'm sure it sounds like it must have been the same man as last night but…."  
"What?"  
Mickey shook his head. "It can't have been. I mean, err, well the two instances had different characteristics."  
Not falling for the whole story Jack probed deeper, tackling the DC's evasion head on "Mickey what exactly happened last night. Who is this man?"  
"No-one Sir. Like I said, he must be someone different. I was wrong, I got the wrong guy." He spoke quickly and defensively, a brusque edge to his words.  
"How did you get those bruises?"  
"What?" The collar was pulled up in an attempt to hide the truth, clearly aware of what Jack referred to.  
"There are marks on your neck and face Mickey. Who did that?"  
"I don't know. No-one, I guess it's from when I fell down the stairs."  
"What, marks round your neck?"  
"Look Sir, I'm kind of in the middle of something so if there isn't anything you need me to do then I should get this finished." It wasn't spoken harshly, but forcefully and with haste.  
Jack knew Mickey well enough to realise that he wasn't going to get anything out of him at the moment, but something was definitely up.

Determined to get to the bottom of things Jack decided to investigate the matter personally. Regardless of whether the person involved was a loan shark or not, he had still seriously assaulted a police officer.  
"Smithy, you were on last nights raid weren't you?"  
"Yes Sir." He stopped in the corridor.  
"You said there were CCTV cameras about?"  
He nodded. "I guess we saw about two. But it was too dark to se anything, with the mist…"  
"Yeah I appreciate that but could you look through them just in case. I don't want anything to be missed out." He turned to leave but Smithy carried on.  
"Sir, we were told it was the wrong person. Has this got anything to do with Mickey only I saw him this morning and…."  
"We'll find that out." Jack gave him a firm look, and did his best to communicate some sort of understanding that for now, this was between them.  
"Yes Sir." Smithy nodded.  
He wasn't sure what made him trust Smithy more than anyone else, but he had noticed the friendship formed with Mickey, and the trust he showed during the Delany case made him seem trustworthy enough for this, should they uncover anything of a delicate nature.

Smithy was true to his word; an hour later he came back clutching the tape, with a confused exp​ression.  
"Sir." He knocked on the door.  
"Come in."  
"I've looked through the CCTV footage and from what I can tell he looked like the same man involved in the burglary on Tuesday and the assault from last week."  
Jack closed his eyes briefly. Mickey had lied, straight to his face. He swallowed the betrayal and attempted to dampen the anger he could feel mounting, there was no way Mickey would have missed such vital information, yet lying about it made no sense. Jack couldn't contemplate a plausible reason for the young DC to lie.  
"So you're saying that this is Noel Krash?" Jack questioned.  
"Except." The look of doubt creased Smithy's face as he faltered. "Except I think the barman gave us a false name."  
"Explain." The Super was walking around the room now, pacing as he did whenever a problem was to be solved. Smithy couldn't help but to notice that there was now a pathway where the carpet was starting to erode.  
"Well. I managed to follow him with CCTV and I think I got him using a cash point. Now I traced his card and didn't get the name Noel Krash. The card belongs to a Colin Webb. "  
Maybe Mickey had a reason to lie after all.


	2. possibilities

"Collin Webb." Jack repeated the words slowly, "Are you sure?"

Smithy hesitantly handed the details over, Jack glanced southwards and sure enough there was the name stark against the white paper, printed plainly in black and white.

"I thought Mickey said his father was dead."

Jack looked up sharply - this was news to him. Mickey had never exactly been open about his family but it was easy to guess the particulars from his actions, the attachment to Jack, the underlying frustration at the absence of a father figure, the way in which Mickey seemed to almost hold his mother on a pedestal, her death had only cemented her sainthood in his eyes, a neon glare indicating that she was the only parent he had ever really known. It was easy to piece together Mickey's troubled childhood purely based on his characteristics. Jack didn't need to be told the specifics yet he couldn't deny the fact that it stung slightly thinking his friend had told the inspector more.

"He just told me he never knew him." Jack mused, words low and lost in thought.

"Webb's a common enough name, we shouldn't jump to conclusions." He continued, words louder with a faux confidence, faith in Mickey fuelling his bravado.

"What about an uncle?" Smithy suggested.

Jack toyed with the idea for a moment,

"Look like I said lets not jump to conclusions until we know everything. The card could be stolen for all we know."

"Yes Sir but why would Mickey tell us not to follow a lead? And if they're related why did he get attacked?"

"Maybe he didn't notice. Like you said it was dark, add in the fact that he had fists in his face and things can easily get muddled."

Jack felt a dull ache in his stomach, the lie weighing heavily upon his torso. He knew it wasn't the whole truth when he said it; Mickey wasn't one to easily crumble under such low levels of pressure. He didn't even convince himself let alone Smithy. The Inspector clearly felt uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was heading and finally spoke up.

"Maybe one of us should speak to Mickey about this."

Jack bit his lip before the automatic defence burst free. He knew Smithy was right, not just from the professional standpoint but from a personal too. If Mickey ever found out that they were poking around in his private life then he would be furious and Jack feared he could alienate their friendship further.

He hovered at the entrance of CID's office watching Mickey laughing and joking with Jo. The DC seemed so at ease, as if last night was merely another night on the job. Compared to his demeanour this morning it was as if summer had come early for the younger man. Glancing at the information in his hands Jack felt a wave of nerves pass through him. He couldn't do this. Not now. They had no solid proof to suggest that Mickey had anything to do with Noal, Collin or whatever his name was. He was making rash decisions based on personal feelings, totally compromising his professionalism. Mickey didn't need nor deserve to be interrogated on the basis of half baked assumptions and speculation.

"Oi Jack!" Mickey called, making the Super jump slightly.

"Mickey?" He quickly slipped the paper from view.

"I've got some more news about this Krash. Apparently that's not his only name."

"Go on." Jack prompted him. This could be exactly what they were looking for.

"His fingerprints match a set of those we took earlier from an Ian Steel- a geezer known for nicking anything that isn't nailed down. Yet someone at the front desk just identified him as Rob Bing." He looked up eyes gleaming,

"See none of these names are real. They're all jus'codes describing his lines of work - Noal Krash is an anagram of Loan Shark, his signature of I. Steel is 'im confessing, and if you put Rob Bing together it tells us of his latest hobby. He's never on the radar 'cause he's forever changin' names."

"Well done Mickey. That's some good work" He didn't have the heart to tell Mickey that they could have discovered a legitimate name closer to home. That was if Mickey didn't already know Jack thought; feeling the seeds of suspicion grow, loyalty towards the officer overpowered mistrust however and if Mickey did know he was doing a pretty good job of hiding it.

"See if you have any more luck tracing him by those names."

" Sir," Mickey acknowledged the instruction with a nod.

Jack hoped he might find Krash had been using cards under those names too, in which case Collin Webb could also just be another alias, except as far as the superintendent could see, Webb didn't appear to be an anagram of any type of crime.

"Mickey, you never knew your Dad did you?" Jack blurted the suspicion needling until he had no alternative but to question the DC.

Mickey's concentration broke as he stiffened; he turned from the computer screen, fingers hovering over the keys as he faltered. He didn't like talking about his family and Jack had no right to pry. The memory of their last conversation regarding his father was all too fresh in his mind and he would have thought the Superintendent would have the sense to let sleeping dogs lie.

" Why'd you bring that up?"

"No reason. Continue with the good work." He headed from the desk attempting to leave the office quickly, feeling Mickey's gaze on his back, the weight heavy as the discomfort bore into his spine.

" Jus' leave it Jack."

The demand was flat, stern in its command but not overly furious however Jack felt he'd been sussed, he knew it. The look in Mickey's eyes was undeniable. He knew exactly what was between the lines, and yet lied, again.

Letting out a sigh Jack leaned against a pillar. This was just a mess, it had been from the very beginning.

He heard voices coming from round the corner, and instantly recognised the familiar tones of Smithy. Not wanted to face the facts just yet Jack pushed himself through the nearest door, which lead into the canteen. Good, he could get himself a coffee and think things through properly. There was more than just Mickey's friendship at risk if they got things wrong. He had to remind himself that that wasn't his main priority.

Taking a seat far from everyone else he tried to focus his thoughts. But he couldn't' get the picture of Mickey's eyes, for a second, so briefly he had seen fear and sadness .He knew all too well why. "You never knew your Dad did you?" The voice, his voice flooded his memories, but not from today, from years ago when…

**Jack:** Aw so that's how I'll get back to Laura yeah? And when I move back in where you gonna stay? Gonna have the bedroom out the back or we gonna convert the attic for you?  
**Mickey:** Uh I'm sorry?

**Jack:** Never knew your dad did you?  
**Mickey:** What?!  
**Jack:** I'm not your father Mickey. I'm your senior officer - Detective Chief Inspector. You don't call me dad, you call me sir, or Guv if I let 'ya. Now what happens in my life is my affair and if you ever, _ever_ stick your grubby little nose into my business again your feet won't touch the floor. Now just get out of my _sight!_  
**Mickey:** Gladly...sir.

Jack pushed his eyes into the palms of his hands, squeezing them tightly shut. He didn't mean what was said back then, only wanted to upset Mickey. Surely Mickey knew that, now. He tried going over the occasions where he stood up for Mickey, got him his job back, helped him after Delany…But it was no good. The images played over and over, Mickey's pained expression, his taunting voice. Dispite all that had happened since Jack still felt as though he owed Mickey.

"Jack." The superintendent cringed inwardly at the acknowledgement of company "Good I was about to see you."

"Smithy. " He turned to face the younger officer.

"Have you told Mickey yet?"

Jack looked away. The lie was on the tip of his tongue, he swallowed it choosing to focus on the menu instead.

"Sir?"

"I don't think we need to bring any unnecessary emotion to this investigation. We could end up blowing the whole thing if we do"

"But.."

"I'll tell Mickey when I think the time is right." Jack barked his tone sharper than he intended.

Smithy paused, biting his lip. "Understood."

"Is that all you wanted to see me about?"

"No Sir" Smithy manoeuvred his way around the table, sliding into a chair opposite the senior officer "Mr We..Mr Krash, has recently used his card at an Offy near Canley high street. He got into a taxi straight after. Ben and Millie are looking at the CCTV now."

Jack nodded, leaning heavily on his elbows. "We'll get an obbo set up on the taxi, and if the need arises we bring this man in for questioning, if Mickey is right then we'll have the whole thing cleared up in no time."

"And if he's wrong?"

Jack met his eyes, making it clear that that wasn't to be considered a possibility at the moment. "Then we'll sort it out when the time comes."

"I'll tell uniform." Smithy pushed his chair back but Jack caught him by the arm.

"No. This is just between us for now."

"But Sir if this is Noal Krash we'll need back-up."

Jack knew the Inspector was correct, forgoing procedure was merely inviting trouble to their door.

"Fine" he acquiesced, "But I don't want the aliases broadcast over the radio. As far as they know he's wanted for assaulting an officer, only."

Slowly the car turned a tight corner, keeping a safe distance behind the taxi.

The passenger was shadowed, hidden within the folds of a hefty grey raincoat. Secure in the knowledge that he wouldn't have been followed as a result of taking the long route he exited the taxi paying in counterfeit.

He stood beneath the Oak tree, waiting and watching. Time ticked in the silence, he reached into his pocket, removed a mobile and dialled. The look of impatience was fleeting allowing Jack and Smithy to deduce from the car that whoever was meant to answer hadn't.

He returned the phone to his pocket without muttering a word.

Ten more minutes passed, silenced the two officers watched as the streetlights activated bathing the suspect in an orange glow. The rest of him remained in the shadows and he ventured further beneath the tree, clearly wanting to stay hidden.

He glanced upwards, eyes focused on the window across the street. The house held firmly in his gaze.

The two occupants in the car slowly grew more nervous as they recognised the house opposite as the one belonging to Mickey Webb.


	3. waiting

Chapter 3.

Smithy tensed, ready to swing into action when needed. He had no idea when the gnawing pain of trepidation would materialise into sinister reality or how long he and Jack would have to stay poised in the cramp vehicle waiting for it, but with the adrenaline coursing through him Smithy knew he'd be ready when it did.

At last, after almost half an hour another car pulled up on the opposite side of the road. The driver paused to stretch before pulling himself out from the car. They both knew before they saw him that it was Mickey. Jack's gaze broke from the young DC, sought the cloaked figure making his way across the road towards Mickey's front door. With a jerk Smithy went to open the door.

"Wait." Jack held him back, fighting his own urges to vacate the vehicle. "We need to give him enough rope to hang himself."

Mickey gasped with relief as the kettle finally finished boiling. A nice hot drink with plenty of caffeine was exactly what he needed. Seeking to quench his thirst he tipped the liquid down his throat and felt it begin to warm him inside. Mug in hand he made his way through to the living room where he happily flopped down onto the sofa with a magazine. No sooner had he become comfortable the doorbell rang.

"Who on earth?" Mickey growled agitatedly. It was 7pm. Who called at 7pm? "If that's a door salesman…"

Reluctantly he made his way down the hall, flipped the lock and pulled the door open.

"Hello."

He barely had time to recognise the familiar voice encased in a sinister chill before rough hands shoved him inside causing his head to painfully contact the radiator as he fell. Blood began to seep from his forehead, colouring his vision in a hazy red. Woozily he flailed out an arm to grab hold of something, anything, but before the world could make sense again he felt himself dragged upwards by the collar. Gasping for air Mickey thrashed in a desperate attempt to break free. He aimed a wild punch and kneed the intruder between the legs. Regaining balance Mickey stumbled backwards, the man's face became clear in the hall light as he knelt, face flushed and heaving. There was no denying it this time.

"I don't want to fight you."

Taking advantage of the moment of hesitation the intruder dove forward; his blow struck the side of Mickey's face sending him to the ground where he clung to the bottom of the stairs. Dazed, he located the glint of a blade amongst the stars. The knife was brought down but the DC grabbed both arms in his, inches from his face. Fingers grasped, digging into the elder man's wrists as Mickey fought for a shred of control, squirming beneath his hold he edged up, stairs digging into his spine as he desperately battled for power of the blade, attempting in vain to wrench the knife from the intruder's hand as it headed closer to his own flesh.

There was a yell of frustration as the man was thrust aside, tackled to the floor, his weapon kicked violently across the room.

"Jack?" Mickey was unable to disguise the tremor of fear in his voice.

The super crouched by his side, as Smithy continued screaming orders at Krash to stay on the ground.

"Are you OK?" Jack asked, running his eyes across Mickey's forehead following the pathway of the deep cut now dripping sickly red, "You need to get that looked at."

"I'm fine." Mickey waved Jack's concern aside. "How did you-"

"CCTV caught him getting into a taxi. We followed him." Jack interrupted bluntly overriding the fractured breaths of enquiry. "Who is he?"

The DC turned, his gaze meeting Krash who had his hands placed on his head.

"Martin Webb." Mickey's reply was low, "He's me Dad."

A cruel smirk crept across Martin's features at the acknowledgement.

"Not such a good copper after all are you?" Martin's cackle soon became a yelp as Smithy tightened his grip, forcefully twisting the elder man's skin between the cuffs.

Jack shot the elder Webb a filthy look, eyes ablaze. This man had just attacked his own son. A protective anger surged in the pit of his stomach.

"Get him out of here!"

Smithy neglected any pretence of professionalism as he gladly obliged, dragging Martin up by the handcuffs, he yanked him through the door.

Jack turned to the young officer, huddled on the step, knees pulled to his chest with a look of shame across his features.

"Why didn't you tell me Mickey?"

There was a long pause.

"I didn't know. I had to be sure."

Jack nodded empathetically, he could understand the determination. No Son would want to admit that their parent was a felon, especially a copper.

"You told Smithy that your Dad was dead."

It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah." Mickey mumbled slowly lifting his head to meet Jack's stare. "He might as well of been."

The silence was becoming more awkward with each second, yet Jack felt an affinity with the young man that he hadn't for a while. Not since he was DCI. They were alone at last, it might not be how he had imagined but this was the best chance they had to have a talk.

"Why don't we have a cup of tea? Smithy's capable of sorting him out for half an hour."

Mickey sighed, why was it that in a crisis everyone turned to tea for the solution?

Somehow he didn't think that a hot drink was going to solve this.

decorporealise


End file.
